This invention relates to a device for cleaning grease-filled electrical cable stubs and also to a novel method for cleaning such cable stubs.
Grease-filled cables are in common use in the telecommunications industry. These cables comprise a number of insulated wires, usually telephone line pairs. The wires are bundled or cabled and are surrounded by a sheath which is grease-packed or grease filled so that the grease surrounds the insulated conductor wires within the cable. The grease is intended to serve as a moisture barrier for the wires of the cable. Many times, however, it is necessary to cut the cable for purposes of splicing it with another cable. Under such conditions the cable is cut and a length of the cable sheath is removed to form a cable stub at which the insulated wires are exposed. Thereafter, the grease must be removed, following which insulation is removed from individual wires at end portions thereof preparatory to the splicing operation. The usual method of removing the grease consists of the application of a solvent. This generally involves the use of a clean, lint-free cloth which has been soaked in the cleaning fluid and then applied to the wires of the cable. Such a procedure is time-consuming, messy, and oftentimes ineffective. In addition, the excessive use of cleaning solvents may be hazardous to workers or to the environment. At open flame might also be used to remove the grease from the cable stub but this constitutes a serious fire hazard.